Cable reel mechanism



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' CABLE REEL MECHANISM Original Filed Dec. 20, 1946 2 SHEETSSHEET 1 Fig.1.

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y 1952' c P. BALDWIN 2,601,958

CABLE REEL MECHANISM Original Filed Dec. 20, 1946 2 SHEETSSHEET 2 WW "I W! H; 7 m 7 1| i ul- --4- H'AL I T a5 jzwezziaga- U'Zyde fifiaZdwzzz.

Patented July 1, 1952 CABLE REEL MECHANISM Clyde P. Baldwin, Olaremont, N. .H., assignor to Joy Manufacturing Company, a corporation of Pennsylvania Original application December 20,'19 46,"Serial No. 717,398. Divided-and this application October 21, 1950, Serial No. 191,456

7 Claims. 1

Thisinvention relates to-cable reel mechanism and more particularly toan improved reel mechanism for the power conductor cable of a coal mining apparatus.

An object of the present-invention is to providean improved cable reel mechanism. Another object is to provide an improved driving means for an electric cable reel. A further object is to provide an improved mounting structure for the reel driving motor. Yet another object is to provide an improved chain and sprocket drive mechanism for a cable reel and improved means for adjusting the tension of the drive chain. A still further object is to provide an improved motor mounting whereby the driving motor may be readily removed without disturbing the other driving connections for the reel. Other objects and advantages of the invention will, however, more fully appear.

The present application is a division of my cpending application, Serial No. 717,398, filed December 20, 1946.

In the accompanying drawings there is shown for purposes of illustration one form which the invention may assume in practice.

In these drawings:

Fig. l is a fragmentary plan view of a mining apparatus with which a preferred illustration embodiment of the improved cable reel mechanism is associated.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary play view illustrating the cable reel driving motor and the control valve mechanism therefor.

Fig. 3 is a central longitudinally extending vertical section taken substantially On line 3--3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a cross sectional view taken substantially on line 44 of Fig. 2.

In this illustrative embodiment of the invention, as shown in the drawings, the improved cable reel mechanism generally designated I is mounted on a support 2 which desirably comprises the frame of a coal mining apparatus, as fully disclosed in my copending application, Serial No. 717,398, above referred to. Evidently, the cable reel mechanism of the present invention may have general application and is not limited to use with a mining apparatus.

The cable reeling mechanism is for a power conductor cable by which electric power is conducted to the electric motors of the mining apparatus and includes an electric cable reel 3 arranged horizontally on the support 2 and mounted to revolve about a Vertical axis, and wound on this reel is a usual electric power conductor cable 4. Thecable; reel isadapted. tube-d iven i cable winding directionby; a motor;5herein desirably; aconventional hydraulic motor; of they intermeshinggearitype (see Figs..3 and 54.), hav n a casing -6 detachablysecured, as by screws 1, to a horizontalbottom frame 8, the latter in tum mounted onjthesupport :2. This motor has its vertical power shaft :9 splined orotherwise detachably coupledat Ill within the tubular hub I l of a chain sprocket I2 and this chain sprocket engages and drivesan endless drivechain l3 (Fig. 1) connected to a chain; sprocket i4 suitably secured tothe cable reel 3. The sprocket I2 is arranged beneath the motor casing, as shown in Fig. 4, in the space between the latter and the bottom wall l5 of the framefl and is journaled at It within the bottom wall [5 of the frame, in the manner shown. When the motor casing'li is detached from the frame 8, upon release of the screws 1, the entire motor unit may be bodily lifted to move the motor shaft 9 out of the sprocket hub ll while the sprocket l2 remains undisturbed in its bearing mountin on the frame 8.

The reel driving motor 5 is controlled by a valve mechanism generally designated l8, which may be similar to that disclosed in a lcopending application to H. H. Vanderzee, Serial No. 571,991, filed January 9, 1945, now PatentNo. 2,593,367, datedApril 15, 1952, owned by the assignee of the present application. This valvemechanism includes a shiftable control and by-pass'valve [9 contained in a housing 20 attached to thetop of the motor casing 6, for controlling flow of liquid under pressure with respect to the reel motor to control reel rotation or to by-pass liquid through the motor. The control valve [9 may be shifted axially by a lever 21 pivotally connected at its lower end (Fig. 3) by floating links 22 to the valve housing and pivotally connected at its upper end to an operating rod23 lying across the top of the valve housing andguided on the latter at 24 and provided with an operating handle 25.

A valve actuating plunger 26 is pivotally connected at 21 to the lever 2| and may be actuated by the latter to engage the valve to shift the. position of the latter. The cable reel 3 may be driven by the motor 5 in cable unwinding direction and the conductor cable may be drawn off from the reel with the valve I9 controllin rotation of the reel in cable unwinding direction, all in the manner disclosed in the Vanderzee application mentioned above; The valve mechanism does'not per se, enter into the present invention, and since it is fully disclosed in the Vanderzee application further detailed description thereof is herein deemed unnecessary.

The horizontal bottom frame 8 which supports the reel driving motor is pivoted at 28, to swing horizontally, on a vertical screw 29 passing through an opening in a member welded or otherwise secured to the support 2 and threadedly secured at 30 to the swingable frame 8. An adjusting screw 3! (see Fig. 2) is threaded within a lug 32 integral with the frame 8 and engages a stationary abutment 33 on the support 2 so that when the screw is adjusted the frame 8 may be swung horizontally about its pivot 28 to change the distance between axes of the sprocket l2 and the reel sprocket [4 so that the tension of the drive chain i3 may be varied, as desired. Clamping screws 34 threaded in the swingable frame 8 pass through elongated slots 35 in the support and when these screws are tightened they serve to clamp rigidly the swingable frame 8 in adjusted position to the support. The hydraulic system of the mining apparatus with which the valve mechanism and reel motor are associated is likewise fully disclosed in my copending application, Serial No. 717,398, mentioned above.

As a result of this invention an improved electric cable reel mechanism is provided having an improved mounting for its driving motor whereby the motor may be readily adjusted horizontally to vary the tension of the driving connections between the motor and the cable reel. By the provision of the novel detachable mounting structure for the reel motor the latter may be removed as a unit without disturbing the other driving connections for the cable reel. The reel motor structure as disclosed is relatively simple, compact and rugged in design, well adapted for its intended purpose. Other advantages of the invention will be clearly apparent to those skilled in the art.

While there is in this application specifically described one form which the invention may assume in practice, it will be understood that this form of the same is shown for purposes of illustration and that the invention may be modified and embodied in various other forms without departing from its spirit or the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by I Letters Patent is:

1. In an apparatus of the character disclosed, the combination comprising a support, a cable reeling mechanism on said support for conducting power medium to the apparatus and com- "2' prising a cable reel and a driving motor therefor detachably secured to said support, a driving connection on said support and connected to said reel, and an axially releasable detachable coupling between said motor and an element of said driving connection whereby said motor when detached from said support may be removed bodily axially as a unit from said element of said driving connection while the latter and said reel.

remain undisturbed on said support.

2. In an apparatus of the character disclosed, the combination comprising a support, a cable reeling mechanism on said support for conducting power medium to the apparatus and comprising a cable reel and a driving motor therefor detachably secured to said support and having a power shaft, a drive chain sprocket journaled on said support beneath said motor, a driven chain sprocket secured to said cable reel, an endless drive chain connecting said sprockets,

and an axially releasable detachable coupling between the motor power shaft and said drive sprocket whereby said motor when detached from said support may be lifted bodily axially as a unit from said support to disconnect the motor power shaft from said drive sprocket while the latter remains undisturbed on said support.

3. In an apparatus of the character disclosed, the combination comprising a support, means for conducting power medium to the apparatus comprising a cable reel on said support having a driven sprocket, a motor having a shaft and pivotally mounted on said support to swing about an axis parallel to the axis of motor shaft rotation and having a drive sprocket, an endless drive chain for connecting said sprockets together, and adjustable devices for swinging said motor on its pivotal mounting relative to said support to vary the distance between the sprocket axes to vary the tension of said chain, said adjustable devices normally maintaining said motor against swinging movement on its pivotal mounting relative to said support.

4. In an apparatus of the character disclosed, the combination comprising a support, means for conducting power medium to the apparatus com prising a cable reel on said support, a frame pivotally mounted on said support to swing relative thereto, a motor detachably secured to said frame, a drive sprocket journaled on said support, a sprocket secured to said reel, an endless drive chain for connecting said sprockets together, means fOr swinging said frame on its pivotal mounting to vary the distance between the sprocket axes to vary the tension of said chain, and an axially releasable coupling be tween said motor and said drive sprocket whereby said motor when the latter is detached from said frame it may be moved bodily axially as a unit from said support to uncouple the motor from said drive sprocket while the latter and said frame remain undisturbed on said support.

5. In a cable reel mechanism, the combination comprising a horizontal support, an electric cable reel journaled on said support for rotation about a vertical axis, a motorhaving a vertical power shaft, axially releasabie means for detachably mounting said motor on said support, a driving element connected to said reel, a bearing on said support in which said driving element is journaled, a driving connection between said driving element and said reel, and a detachable coupling between said motor shaft and said driving element permitting axial separation of said motor shaft from said driving element whereby said motor may be detached from its mounting on said support and lifted vertically axially as a unit from said driving element while the latter remains undisturbed in its bearing on said support.

6. In a cable reel mechanism, the combination comprising a horizontal support, an electric cable reel journaled on said support for rotation about a vertical axis, a horizontal frame pivotally mounted on said support to swing horizontally relative thereto, a motor on said swingable frame, axially releasable means for detachably securing said motor to said swingable frame, a rotary driving element journaled on said swingable frame and detachably coupled to the motor shaft, a rotary driven element secured to said reel, a flexible endless driving element connecting said driving element to said driven element, an adjustable means connected between said support and said frame for swinging the latter horizontally about its pivot to vary the distance apart to swing horizontally relative thereto, a motor.

detachably mounted on said swingable frame, a drive sprocket, a bearing on said frame in which said drive sprocket is journaled, an axially releasable, detachable coupling between the motor shaft and said sprocket, a driven sprocket se cured to said reel, an endless drive chain for connecting said driving sprocket to said driven sprocket, means for swinging said frame to change the distance apart of the axes of said driving'and driven sprockets thereby to vary the tension of said endless chain, and means for detachably .securing said motor to said frame, said motor upon release of said detachable securing means adapted to be bodily axially lifted from saidf'fraiiie without disturbing said driving sprocket in its bearing irrespective of the adjusted position of said frame about its pivot, and said drive shaft'sliding axially from its coupling with said drive' sprocket when said motor is bodily lifted as aforesaid from said frame.

I I CLYDE P. BALDWIN.

- REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent: I

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date I 1,069,037 Sessions July 29, 1913 1,203,390 Noble Oct. 31, 1916 1,209,310 Levin Dec. 19, 1916 1,247,421 Levin Nov. 20, 191'! 

